Victoria Grizzlies fans are likely having a chuckle over that comment, but it is not far from the truth as the last handful of seasons has produced plenty of hearsay about the local team moving up Island.
Talk at the coolers have cooled off as the Grizzlies recently added American Mark Stevens as a minority owner. Team president and alternate governor John Wilson stated in January to the sa国际传媒 that the announcement was to help dispel yet more rumours of a possible move.
Campbell River Storm owner Linda Spooner said no such bid for the Grizzlies came from the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League team. But that doesn鈥檛 mean she and husband Kevin Spooner are not interested in joining the Junior A circuit, as opposed to Junior B.
鈥淓ventually, I think, but not at this point,鈥� she said of a potential BCHL deal. 鈥淚 would think that, ultimately, all Junior B [teams] would like to be Junior A, but not at this time for us.
鈥淚 think we have the fan base, but it鈥檚 not something we鈥檙e looking at now,鈥� added Spooner, who said the Storm 鈥� the 2014-15 VIJHL, provincial and western Canadian champs, who are at Pearkes Arena tonight at 6:30 p.m. to face the Saanich Braves 鈥� average 1,000 fans a night. Rod Brind鈥橝mour Arena, where they play, could be renovated to add more room.
Not that the BCHL couldn鈥檛 use another team in the Island Division, the only division that has five clubs compared to six. But a costly expansion (the Wenatchee Wild paid $1.2-million to enter the league this season) isn鈥檛 the course most of these rumours take.
The object of those discussions usually involves a financially struggling team, of which there are many in the 17-team circuit.
Grizzlies鈥� governor Lance Black says in the last 18 months in which he has worked with the team, the topic of Campbell River as an expansion team has never come up at board meetings. He doesn鈥檛 dismiss the city as a viable site, though.
鈥淵ou just never know. If Duncan [home of the Cowichan Valley Capitals] can make it, I assume Campbell River can make it, but there鈥檚 been no application to the league. I don鈥檛 see them ponying up that kind of money [through expansion] to come in,鈥� said Black.
鈥淭here鈥檚 always been chatter about their interest. They can push their arena out for another 500 fans and I think they have [control of] the alcohol sales, which helps [costs], and they get a good fan base. The question is the travel. You start getting on the bus and off the Island and buying those hotel rooms and, all of a sudden, you鈥檙e asking if it is sustainable.鈥�
The Storm franchise, which is currently 33-6-2-2, runs under the ownership of the Spooners with Lee Stone handling the general manager and head coaching duties. Stone said he has no knowledge of whether the Spooners would try to make that move, but he does have an opinion on all the rumours.
鈥淐ampbell River is incredible. If you look around the BCHL, there are so many teams that are struggling. A lot of people think it鈥檚 an easy move, but to just plop a team in Campbell River 鈥� I don鈥檛 know if that鈥檚 necessarily the answer,鈥� said Stone.
To transfer a team 鈥� which, according to several league sources, may be worth just south of a million dollars and that likely run annual operating costs of three-quarters of that amount 鈥� requires a lengthy, complicated process.
鈥淧eople look at it and logically, sure, it makes sense to put a team in Campbell River. Of all places in sa国际传媒, it鈥檚 one of the spots you would look at first. I certainly wouldn鈥檛 suggest it鈥檚 a home run, though, or that it would happen anytime soon,鈥� Stone added.
So, for now, talks around BCHL rinks and concession stands of teams moving will continue 鈥� be it at The Q Centre in Colwood or the Coliseum in Prince George or Cominco Arena in Trail.
Talk is, after all, cheap. Running a BCHL franchise isn鈥檛.
